Remote welding monitoring systems have been developed for observing robotic and manual welding operations as they occur. One such system utilizes an arc welder having a welding electrode longitudinally positioned in and extending through a cylindrical housing. This housing in turn is coupled to an enclosure containing a pair of mirrors in a periscopic configuration, with the welding electrode passing through an opening in one of the mirrors. This electrode mirror is positioned adjacent an opening in the enclosure through which the welding electrode passes to a workpiece. An image of the welding operation is obtained through this opening and is reflected by the electrode mirror to a second mirror, which in turn reflects the image to a lens. The image is then coupled by a fiber optic bundle to an optical/electrical system which conditions the optical image and converts it to a video signal which is ultimately displayed on a video monitor or recorded. This system permits sensitive electronic components to be remotely located from a harsh welding environment and also provides a measure of safety for the human operator, which is a particularly sensitive issue with regard to robotic operations.
Difficulties have arisen, however, because design considerations of the monitoring system make it cumbersome to position the welding torch in many of the various attitudes necessary to perform welding tasks. To do this with the current design, it is necessary to reposition the torch, the monitoring system, and the optics. Obviously, the man-hours spent in manipulating components of this configuration of monitoring system while repositioning the torch is expensive, and further, there may occur an inordinate component failure as with fiber optic bundles, as individual fibers are prone to be broken.
It is the object of this invention to provide a welding monitoring system which allows the arc welder to be readily positioned while leaving the optical system relatively undisturbed.